Hearts and Minds
by sunshinebananas
Summary: Lucas and Peyton's relationship seems to be going along swimmingly. But when Brooke, Peyton's ex-best friend, and Lucas' ex-lover, reveals a secret that could change everything, how will Peyton, and more importantly, Lucas, react?
1. Chapter 1

Peyton ran at Brooke, jumped onto her back, and they fell onto the grass. Peyton straddled Brooke, pinning her to the ground. Brooke smacked Peyton in the face and kneed her in the back. As they struggled, Brooke screamed at her.

"Let go! I said get off of me!" Brooke grabbed Peyton's arms and shoved her away. "I'm the one with no boyfriend and a black eye! You're the one going to the prom with the guy I love so you win!" Brooke shouted as Peyton stood above her.

Shocked, Peyton just stared at her. And Brooke, realizing what she had said, clapped her hand over her mouth. "What did you just say?" Peyton whispered, "No, no, you are not doing this now." Shaking her head, Peyton sat down heavily on the porch steps and ran her hands through her hair. "Brooke you were the one who told him to…I know everything wasn't ok between us, but I thought that…if you love him, why would you do that? To hurt me?"

"I just wanted him to be happy." Brooke said with tears in her eyes. "Peyton, he is the only guy I've ever loved, I would do anything to make him happy"

"And you think I don't love him?" Peyton asked.

Brooke looked away, "No. I know you do. That's why I did it. I told him…that I stopped missing him. But I started missing him the very moment I realized he wasn't mine anymore. When I realized that he was yours." Brooke stood, and grabbed her purse from the grass. "So congratulations. You win, you get the boy. You get my boy."


	2. Chapter 2

Lucas walked through Peyton's door with such a sad look on his face, that Peyton's anger melted the second she saw him. "I'm sorry about this morning. I should have checked on you first."

"It's ok. As long as you never ever talk to her again."

"What happened?"

Peyton opened her mouth to tell him about the fight she'd had with Brooke this morning, but changed her mind and instead, said, "It's nothing. Just…the thing with Nathan."

"Oh." Lucas sat down on her bed and took her hands in his, "Peyton…didn't we kind of do the same thing to her?"

She drew her hands back, and indignant look on her face, "We had sex? Hmm, must not have been very good, I don't remember it."

"No, we didn't have sex, but…"

"Do you ever actually defend the person you're dating?" She said angrily and got off the bed.

"Peyton, I love you. But I'm not going to forget about Brooke. I loved her too, but that's in the past. This thing with Nathan is in the past. Why can't you just leave it alone?"

Something flashed across Peyton's face, but then her expression was unreadable. "You really did love her, didn't you?"

"I did. But I don't anymore. I love you. You and I have a different kind of love, something more."

Peyton was quiet for a moment, "Luke, I don't think I'm up for prom. You go, have a good time." She said with a sad smile, "I'm gonna stay here and…think some things over."


	3. Chapter 3

Brooke showed up at the school looking beautiful, as always. With Mouth on her arm, wearing a white tuxedo jacket, she looked like a queen, and she knew it. No matter how angry she was with Peyton, or how confused she was about Lucas, she was determined to have a good time tonight.

Mouth and Brooke trailed behind Bevin and Skills as they walked into the school, where they met Nathan and Haley. Brook grinned at Haley and admired her dress, "You look beautiful."

Haley smiled up at Nathan, "Thanks. He bought it for me with his stripper money."

"Yeah, I heard about that," Brooke said, nudging Mouth with her elbow, "Why wasn't I invited?"

"Next time we enter a stripping contest, I promise we'll hook you up, Brooke." Said Skills.

There was a pause, and Nathan asked, "Has anyone seen Lucas and Peyton?"

Brooke looked down at her feet, "I'm sure they'll show up later."

Haley, hearing the slight sadness in Brooke's voice, looked at her for a minute, and then changed the subject. "Come on, we are going into the gym, and we are going to dance. I just got my boot off, and I plan to use this leg until I fall over." She pulled Nathan along, and the rest of the group followed.

When they entered, they were amazed at how much the gym had been transformed. There were streamers, which blocked out the harsh florescent lights and gave it a soft glow. There was a stage where instruments sat, waiting to be played, and the school had even managed to get the smell of sweat out of the room.

Nathan had gone to get drinks, and Brooke sat talking to Mouth. She was laughing at a joke he had told when she glanced at the door and saw Lucas. He was looking around, and Brooke quickly turned away before he could see that she was looking at him.

Nathan was just getting back when Lucas found them and walked over. "Hi, everyone." He gave a small wave.

"Where's your girl?" Skills asked.

"She decided that prom wasn't her thing, and stayed home. I did bring a date, though." Lucas said, an amused look in his eyes.

Everyone stared at him, confused, until he stepped aside. A girl who had been partially hidden by his tall frame, stepped forward.

"You little slut!" Brooke exclaimed, and reached to hug Rachel.

"Sup girl?" Skills asked.

Rachel had spotted Haley, who had taken a step closer to Nathan. Haley regarded her for a moment, then spoke. "Truce?"

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, whatever." She waved her hand at Haley, "Now, I came all the way from the airport for this dance, and we are going to have some fun."


	4. Chapter 4

"Lucas, can I talk to you for a minute?" Brooke shouted.

Lucas leaned in close to hear her over the music, "Yeah, sure."

"Can we go out for a minute?" Brooke nodded her head toward the door, indicating the hallway.

Lucas nodded, and headed in that direction, with Brooke trailing behind him. Once they got away from the noise, Brooke turned to face him. "Why aren't you with Peyton?" she asked abruptly.

"She decided that she didn't feel like going to the prom, and she seemed like she needed some space."

"Did she…say anything about me? I mean, other than the name-calling and insults."

Lucas looked confused, "She might have. What kind of things are you talking about?"

Brooke looked at the ground, "Like, something I said earlier today." She glanced up at him through her bangs, "Or something about you, maybe."

"No, why?"

"We kind of…had a fight, and we both said some things that neither of us wanted to hear." She paused, "Lucas, I…" she started, _Lucas, I love you._ Why couldn't she say it? Why was it so hard? She had said it before like it was nothing, but now it was impossible for the words to come out of her mouth.

Lucas raised his eyebrows, "Yeah?"

She tried again, "I…" nothing. Her throat closed up when she tried to utter those magic words that would send their whole world crashing to the ground. Again. "It's nothing. Let's go back inside."

"Are you sure everything's ok? I'm always here to talk if you need me."

_I do need you, Lucas_. "No, I'm fine. We're here to have fun, and I don't want to bring you down. It's nothing, really."


	5. Chapter 5

Lucas walked into Peyton's room at 8 am carrying a bag of doughnuts. He knew that Peyton would still be sleeping this early, so he just meant to set it on her desk along with a note, but when he saw her looking so peaceful, he couldn't resist leaning over to kiss her.

Peyton woke up to Lucas' lips brushing against her cheek. She blinked and sat up, slightly confused. Lucas held up the doughnuts, and said, "I thought you might need a little something. You know, since you missed our senior prom, and Brooke tells me that you've been looking forward to it since you were 8."

Peyton was glad that Lucas had come, but she winced inwardly when he mentioned Brooke. "Can we not talk about Brooke right now?"

"Do you have something else you'd rather talk about?"

"Mmmm…I think I'd rather not talk at all." She smiled slyly at him.

"Really. And what do you want to do instead?" Lucas asked.

"I think I'd rather do this." Peyton reached up, pulled Lucas onto the bed, and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back. They continued until they heard a small noise by the door.

They separated reluctantly to see what had made the noise. Peyton looked up to see Brooke standing in the doorway, with a hard look on her face.

Shocked, Lucas said, "Brooke."

"I, uh, came to talk to Peyton. But it looks like you guys are a little busy. I'll come back sometime around never." She spun and rushed down the stairs, slamming the door behind her.

Lucas stood up sheepishly, "You're not going to go after her?"

Peyton set her jaw, "No. Why does it matter what she thinks?"

"Ok, what's going on between you two? I thought you were working things out."

"That was before I knew she made a sex tape with my ex-boyfriend, and before…" She stopped, not sure why she couldn't tell Lucas what Brooke had said.

"Before what?"

"Nothing. I told you, we had a fight, that's all." Somewhere, in the back of her mind, Peyton remembered that Brooke hadn't told Lucas about Peyton's feelings toward him, and Peyton wasn't about to go lower than Brooke had.

"Peyton, Brooke may not matter to you anymore, but I still care about her. She's still my friend. And I happen to care when something's wrong with my friends. I'm going to go see if she's ok." Lucas got up and walked out the door as Peyton stared disbelievingly after him.

When Lucas got outside, he saw that Brooke was in her car, and gripping the steering wheel so hard that her knuckles were white. "Brooke!" He called, before she could drive away, "Wait!" He jogged over to her car, "What was that about?" he asked.

"Um," Brooke swallowed nervously, and then turned to face him, "Lucas, I have to ask you something."

"Yeah…?"

"Are you happy with Peyton?"

"Of course."

Brooke gave him a small, sad smile, "Then you belong with her." With that, she put the car in reverse, and drove away, leaving Lucas standing on the driveway, alone.


	6. Chapter 6

Lucas and Nathan were down at the Rivercourt, shooting hoops, but being careful so that Lucas wouldn't strain his heart. "Hey, Nathan, can I ask you something?"

Nathan caught the ball and walked over to where Lucas was standing, "Sure, what's up?"

"Is Brooke ok?"

"I guess. She's been a little down lately, but I understand why."

"What happened to that Chase guy?"

"They sort of broke up. He was at the party when, uh…the tape of me and Brooke…"

"Ah. Got it." Lucas took the ball from Nathan and shot a lay-up, caught the rebound, and bounced it back to Nathan. "I haven't talked to her, really, since the prom, and the last time I saw her she seemed upset."

"So go talk to her."

"I have a feeling she'd rather not see me right now."

"What'd you do?"

"Nothing! She stopped by Peyton's house yesterday. She wanted to talk to Peyton about a fight they'd had earlier, and she kind of walked in on me and Peyton."

Nathan studied Lucas for a minute, "What happened?"

"She left, Peyton didn't feel like going after her, so I did." Lucas thought for a moment, "She asked me if I was happy with Peyton."

"You remember when Peyton asked you who you would want standing next to you when your dreams came true, and you said Brooke?"  
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with this? I made a mistake, I want Peyton."

"Never mind. Just, try not to hurt Brooke anymore, ok man?"

"I didn't hurt Brooke. She was the one who told me that it was ok if I was with Peyton."

"You did hurt her, Lucas. She just didn't want to show it. And you were so focused on Peyton that you probably missed the signs."

"Peyton's my girlfriend, I'm supposed to be focused on her."

"I know. But just be careful what you say and do around Brooke. She's not as strong as she pretends to be."


	7. Chapter 7

"Peyton, I don't know if I can do this." Lucas said.

Peyton looked up from her drawing, "What?"

"I don't know if I can be in a relationship with you."

Peyton blinked at him, her big eyes filled with hurt, "Lucas…"

"I'm sorry Peyton. I love you, I really do, but…"

"You're not in love with me." Peyton finished for him.

"No, I love…"

"Brooke!" Brooke jumped awake. She looked around sleepily and saw that the class was empty, except for Lucas, who had an amused look on his face. "Good dream?"

"Um, yeah, actually. It was a lot better than what I have to wake up to." She thought for a moment, "Then again, having you to wake up to never really was that bad." She gave him a smile, and they walked out of class together.

"It's good to see you smile, Brooke. How have you been?"

"The past few weeks have been…hard. But I'm ok now." They walked along in silence for a few minutes, then Brooke spoke again, "Thank you, Lucas. For caring about me."

"Brooke, you and I have a history that's not going to go away, whether Peyton likes it or not. I still care about you, and I probably always will."

"How'd you get to be so nice, Lucas Scott?"

Lucas shrugged, "Don't know. How'd you get to be se pretty, Brooke Davis?"

Brooke laughed, it was nice to know that Lucas still thought she was pretty. For a moment, it felt like old times, when Lucas was still her boyfriend, and she could still trust Peyton. Then she saw Peyton walking towards Lucas, and Brooke's bubble of happiness burst, leaving her with the reality that Lucas was _not _her boyfriend, and Peyton was _not _her best friend. "I'll see you around, Lucas." Then she turned, and walked away.

"What was that?" Peyton asked, wrapping her arms around Lucas from behind.

"Mmmm? Hey." Lucas turned around so that they were facing each other, and kissed her. "It was nothing. She's been a little down lately, and I cheered her up."

"Talking to you made her happy?"

"Uh, I guess so." Lucas glanced down at his cell phone, checking a text message he had just gotten.

"Lucas, there's something you should know about Brooke…"

"Sorry, Peyton. I forgot that I was supposed to meet Nathan and Mouth twenty minutes ago. Can it wait till later?" Without waiting for an answer, he quickly kissed her on the cheek, and then he was gone.


	8. Chapter 8

Brooke sat in the living room of the house she shared with Rachel. There was a knock at the door, and she looked up from her laptop, wondering who it could be. She took the computer off her lap, unfolded from the couch, and walked over to the door. She opened it without checking to see who it was, so she was surprised to see Peyton's angry face glaring at her.

"Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

"Who the hell do you think you are?! Lucas is _mine_ now. You have no right to just waltz over to him any time you want and talk about your 'feelings'. Like you have any, you cold hearted bitch."

"Excuse me? He was the one who started talking to me, if you're going to be mad at anyone, be mad at your boyfriend, who just happens to be _my _ex."

"I can't believe you! He doesn't love you anymore! Get over it!"

"You don't just fall out of love with someone one day! You know that, you've known it all along. But you didn't care, did you? You didn't care that you being with him was tearing me apart!"

"You did the same thing with Nathan!"

"But you didn't know that! When you went after Lucas, you didn't know that and you did it anyway. I guess friends don't mean anything to you when they come in the way of your precious love."

"Lucas was mine before he was ever yours."

"He didn't want you!" Brooke shouted.

Peyton just stared at Brooke, stunned.

"He could have had you anytime, but he didn't want you. He wanted me. And you can't handle that, can you? You can't stand that he loved me first."

"He may have loved you first, but he loves me now."

"Really? Do you really believe that? Is that why you're constantly fighting? Is that why you haven't slept together yet?"

Peyton's opened and closed as she searched for the right words to throw back at Brooke. "We just haven't found the right time yet."

"Is that what you think? Or are you just afraid that I'm right? That he doesn't want to sleep with you at all?"

"Of course he does. It would've happened that night at Nathan's house if it hadn't been for that stupid tape."

"Yeah, that's right. It's everybody else's fault. It's always somebody else's fault, never your own."

"You can't stop Lucas from loving me. No matter how hard you try, no matter what you say, or what you do, you can't make him love you again. Just because you lost Chase does not mean you can just waltz over and take any boy you want. People have feelings, Brooke! People get hurt! You broke Lucas' heart when you broke up with him. Do you have any idea of how much he wanted you back?"

"You think that didn't hurt me? That was the hardest thing I have _ever_ done. Do you have any idea why Lucas is with you in the first place?"

"What are you talking about?"

"If I had never broken up with him, you would never have gotten this chance. And that day, at the championship game? I was the one who told him to go to you. I was the one who told him to be with you."

"What? I'm not stupid, Brooke. You two would've been over sooner or later anyway." But deep in her heart, Peyton was afraid. What if Brooke was right?


	9. Chapter 9

Brooke walked into the kitchen to find Rachel pulling every single bottle of alcohol she could find out of the cabinets. "What are you doing?" she asked, arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

"We…" Rachel climbed down from the counter where she had been kneeling, "Are having a party."

"Yeah, because everything went so well at the last one. Hmm, let's see, there was the little fight you almost got into with Haley, um, the sex tape of me and Nathan that made Chase break up with me, and, let's not forget Peyton punching me in the face!" Brooke said, counting on her fingers as she spoke, "Yeah, I really loved that. Let's do that all over again."

"Hey," Rachel said, holding her hands up in a mock-surrender, "I'm just trying to help. You've been down lately, what with the Chase thing, and the calculus test stuff, and the Peyton thing, and the Lucas thing, and…wow, you've got lots of problems with people."

"That's me, problem girl. That's all I seem to have lately, isn't it?"

"Anyway, I thought maybe a party would take your mind off things. A little drink," Rachel held up a bottle of schnapps, and waggled it at Brooke, "Some boys, I think you'll be ok."

Brooke wrinkled her nose while she thought about it, "Ok, ok, fine. Party, tonight, but only if there's boys."

"There will be, I promise." Brooke wandered over to the counter where the bottles were sitting. She picked one up and began to examine it, while Rachel studied her. "Brooke, is there something going on between you and Lucas?"

Brooke dropped the bottle, startled, but she caught it before it shattered. "What? No way! Lucas and I are…we're just…we just are. Lucas and me, separate, nothing between us."

"Right. That's why Peyton came over here yesterday and started a bitch-fight with you."

Brooke nearly choked on the soda she was drinking. She swallowed the mouthful she had taken, and began to cough. When her coughing had subsided, she looked at Rachel, "How…?"

"Peyton told Mouth, and Mouth told me."

"It was nothing, she's just mad about the tape still, I guess."

"Brooke, come on. Just because Peyton's not your best friend anymore doesn't mean you don't have one. You can tell me."

"It was about Lucas," Brooke said, her face serious, "I…before prom, I told Peyton that I…loved Lucas."

Rachel stared at Brooke intently, "Do you? Do you really?"

"Yes. I don't want to, but I do. I mean, we were over. He moved on, I moved on, but he's still there. I never loved anyone else."

"Why did you let him go?"

"I didn't really know how I felt until he wasn't there anymore. Until Chase broke up with me, and I…really had no one. I was alone, and it sucked. But then, Lucas was there, and he made me feel better, and I realized that no one had ever made me feel the way he did. But he doesn't know. And he can't know."

"Why not?"

"Because he's happy with Peyton." Brooke shrugged, "And I want him to be happy. Even if it means I have to be unhappy."


	10. Chapter 10

The party was in full swing and Brooke sat on the couch, in the middle of it all. She glanced around her, "Hmmm, this looks familiar." She peeked at the open seat next to her, almost as if she was expecting someone to appear there.

"Talking to yourself? I always knew you were crazy." Brooke turned and saw that Rachel stood above her, holding a cup. She sat down, and offered the drink to Brooke. "Here, you kind of look like you need this. Party not a good idea?" she said apologetically.

"Drunk and alone at a party didn't work out so well for me last time. Didn't work out really, for anybody."

"Come, where is the Brooke Davis that I used to know?"

"The Brooke Davis you knew was the girlfriend of Lucas Scott. This Brooke Davis is the ex-girlfriend of Chase Adams, and has to see her ex-best-friend be the girlfriend of Lucas Scott. The Brooke Davis you knew has left, and I don't think she'll ever come back."

It hurt Rachel to see her friend in pain like this, "Yeah, well, the Brooke Davis I knew wouldn't take crap like that from anyone, especially me." She looked at Brooke, waiting for a response, but she got nothing except for a sigh. "You remember that thing he said to you about him fighting for you, but you never fought for him?"

"How could I forget?"

"You did fight for him. That whole time you were kind of forcing him to go out with me, which, by the way, I don't really see how that was supposed to make him think that he was supposed to fight for you, but anyway, you fought like hell against me, he just never saw it. You fought your best friend for him, and then you did something selfless. You gave him up. You fought your own heart so that he could be happy. And he'll never know."

"When did you get so all-knowingy?" Brooke looked at her in surprise.

Rachel rolled her eyes and sighed, "No expects me to have feelings. Just because I'm kind of a slut and pretty much a bitch doesn't mean that I don't feel."

Brooke smiled at her, "Thank you, really, for trying. But I don't think that anything could make me feel better. Not even boys."

"Well if you don't want to feel worse, I wouldn't turn around if I were you. Mr. and Mrs. Blonde-and-Broody just walked in." Brooke groaned and let her head flop backwards. "Look, if you need me, I'm here. Just, for me, get off this couch and stop moping around. There's enough people here so that you can hide from The Gag-Me's." Rachel stood up, grabbed both of Brooke's hands and tugged. "Come on, just get up and see how you feel. They're not around here anymore, I promise."

Brooke looked up at her, "Fine." Rachel pulled her to her feet and Brooke looked around at all the people surrounding her. "Hey, you know what? I do feel better. Hold on." She grabbed the cup out of Rachel's hand and drained it. "Ok, now I'm ready to face…whatever."

"Good." Rachel's expression changed from a grin to a look of disgust, "Oh crap."

"What?" Following Rachel's gaze, Brooke turned around and found herself face to face with Lucas' chest. She looked upwards to find his face. "Oh. Hi. Leaving now." She pushed past him and disseappeared in the crowd, leaving Lucas and Rachel alone.

Rachel crossed her arms and glared at him, "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to say hi. Is something wrong?" Lucas asked, confused.

"Why don't you just go talk to your girlfriend?" she said crossly.

"Well, I..what are you talking about?"

"You are so blind. You can't see what's right in front of your face."

Lucas just looked at her and walked away to find someone who wasn't so crazy. Rachel turned and watched him walk away. "It's Brooke, you stupid jerk. She wants you. She wants to be with you. And you're so focused on Peyton that you can't see it." But Lucas had gone, and he would never hear what Rachel had said.


	11. Chapter 11

Peyton stood by the stereo, bobbing in time to the music. She took a sip of her drink, and felt strong hands wrap around her from behind. "Hey there sexy." A voice whispered in her ear. A smile crossed her lips and she turned around to see Lucas gazing at her.

"Hey yourself."

"You look so good." He kissed her deeply, and she leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him. When they separated, he looked into her eyes. "You want to go upstairs?"

Peyton looked at him oddly, "Here? Lucas, you do remember that this is Brooke and Rachel's house, right?"

He shrugged, "Yeah, why not?"

She leaned away from him to get a better look at his face, "Brooke and Rachel. You dated both of them. That wouldn't be weird?"

Lucas looked at her amusedly, "You dated Nathan, we were going to at his house."

"Oh, yeah."

"So what do you say?"

Peyton bit her lip, thinking, "I say…yes."

They broke their embrace, and Lucas grabbed her by the hand. They weaved through the crowd until they reached the stairs. He stopped and turned to her, "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"Yes. God, I'm so ready."

"Good. Me too." Laughing like ten-year-olds, they went upstairs, found a private bedroom, and closed the door. The minute she heard the door shut, Peyton threw her arms around Lucas and kissed him as hard as she could. Lucas picked her up, and she put her legs around him. He carried her to the bed and they tumbled onto it. They continued kissing, only stopping for the few seconds it took them to strip off their shirts. Peyton tugged off the skirt she had been wearing and tossed it to the floor. She wrapped her arms back around Lucas and he rolled on top of her.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Brooke had surrounded herself with boys and was dancing with three or four of them. "Who wants to get me another drink?" She shouted over the music. Two of them rushed off, eager to be the first to bring it to her. When one returned, she gave him a coy smile and downed the alcohol. She felt a hand pull her away, and she turned around to see Rachel.

"How many drinks have you had?" Rachel yelled.

"Relax! You were the one who told me to…whoa." The rush of alcohol had just hit her, and it sent Brooke into a dizzy spell. "Ok, maybe you're right. No more drinks for Brooke."

"Why don't you go upstairs and get away from this for a little while?"

"Good idea!" Rachel led Brooke to the stairs and watched as she stumbled up them.

To Brooke, the world was still tilting, so she pushed open the first door that her drunken steps took her to. Inside, she heard frantic scrambling, and looked up to see Lucas and Peyton on top of the bed, Peyton clad only in her bra and underwear, and Lucas was minus his shirt.

"Oh my God."

Peyton, horrified, pulled the bed covers up to her chin. Lucas was frozen in shock for a minute, but he called out, "Brooke!" By then, it was too late, Brooke had spun away from the door, tears shining in her eyes.

Rachel saw Brooke come running down the stairs. "Hey!" Rachel caught her by the hand, concern tracing lines onto her forehead. "What's wrong?"

"I'm going for a walk."

"Are you going to be ok?"

"Don't worry, totally sober now."

Rachel just watched her friend as she ran out the door. She turned to see Lucas race down the stairs, pulling down his shirt, and his hair disheveled. "What did you do?" she said angrily.

He just ran his hands through his hair and stammered, "I…I…just…" But Rachel had already seen Peyton at the top of the stairs, wrapped in a bed sheet, and Rachel knew what had been about to happen. Lucas started to go after Brooke, but Rachel stepped in front of him.

"Don't." she said, her voice deadly, "You'll only make it worse."


	12. Chapter 12

Peyton lay on Lucas' bed, her head propped against the headboard. She was holding a magazine and flipping through it, but she didn't see the words that passed in front of her eyes. She sighed, restless, and sat up. She looked at Lucas, who was sitting at his computer, as usual. She bounced a little, anxiously forming sentences in her head, trying to figure out what to say to him. "Lucas…can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, sure." He said distractedly.

"It's kind of serious."

Lucas finally tore his eyes away from the computer screen, and looked at her intently. "What is it?"

"Why did it matter so much to you when Brooke walked in on us?"

"It was going to be our first time, it's kind of a big deal. After Brooke came in, I guess it was a little awkward."

"But why did you go after her? Why did it matter so much to you?" She could see him trying to come up with an answer, and when he couldn't, she looked down at her hands and said, "That's what I thought."

Seeing that she was clearly upset, Lucas abandoned his work at the computer and came to sit down with her on the bed. He took her hands in hers, "What's bothering you, Peyton?"

She looked at him, tears brimming in her eyes, "I love you Lucas, I want to be with you."

"I know that." Lucas said, concerned.

"But is this what you want? Is this everything you ever dreamed true love could be? Is this what you would sacrifice everything to get? Because it is to me. I want you so much it hurts, but that doesn't keep me from seeing that this isn't it for you. I'm not it for you."

"I want you to know that being with you has been wonderful. You're everything I ever dreamed of, and I'm gonna love you forever. But there's someone out there who is meant to be with you. No matter how much I want you or how much I love you, I can't change who your heart belongs to. I know you tried, and I love you even more for it. But true love stops everything else, and if she is willing to risk everything to get you, she deserves you. Give her the world, Lucas. Because that's what I would give if I could have you."

"Peyton…"

"Yeah?" There was a part of her that hoped he would say she was wrong. That he did love her, and they were meant to be together. She wanted to kill that part. But that didn't stop the hope from creeping into her voice.

The only thing Lucas could offer was "You're the one I want to want."

Peyton looked at him, and he could see the love and hurt in her eyes, "I know." She whispered. "Good-bye Lucas."


	13. Chapter 13

"Brooke!" Haley called, running down the hallway. Brooke stopped and looked over her shoulder as Haley caught up.

"Hey! Are you sure you should be running right now?" She said, concerned.

"I'll be ok…" Haley said, her hand on her belly, "Just let me catch my breath for a minute."

"Here," Brooke hooked her arm under Haley's and led her over to the wall to leaned her against it.

"Thanks." Haley said breathlessly, "There's something…I have…to tell you."

"You're going to give yourself a heart attack. Take it easy, sweetie!"

"You ready?"

"Yeah," Brooke said, frowning, "What's so important?"

"Peyton broke up with Lucas yesterday."

Brooke stared at Haley, in shock. She swallowed, "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. They're both pretty broken up about it."

"Did she…did she tell you why?"

"No. She didn't want to. She did tell me that she knows that there's someone else he belongs with." Haley looked at Brooke expectantly, as if she would know Peyton's reasoning.

Haley's words had sent Brooke reeling. Why would Peyton do this? Was she just toying with Brooke's emotions? And had she told Lucas how Brooke felt? "I uh, I have to go." She told Haley, and left.

Later that day, after she had had some time to think, Brooke arrived at Peyton's house. She wanted to know once and for all exactly where they stood. She took a deep breath, and rang the doorbell. She bit her lip nervously as she waited for Peyton to answer. Peyton appeared at the door, her hair disheveled, and her make-up smudged. When she saw Brooke, she just sagged, almost as if she had been expecting someone else.

"Hi Peyton." Brooke said tentatively.

"You heard."

"Yeah. Haley told me. But…why? I know you love him."

Peyton shrugged dejectedly, "Because you did the same thing for me. You gave him up because you thought he could be happy with me. Now it's my turn."

"Peyton, I swear to God, if you're just doing this to hurt me, if you're just screwing with my emotions, I will never, ever forgive you." Brooke wasn't ready to accept that Peyton had given up Lucas just because she knew how Brooke felt.

"I'm not. I used to think that had I known you still loved him, I wouldn't have gone after him, but that's not true. I selfishly thought that he would pick me over you no matter what. But now I know that he won't."

"You can't know that."

"But I do. I know what love feels like, and believe me, I love him with all my heart. But he doesn't love me. Not like he loves you."

"He doesn't love me. We're over, it's as simple as that."

"Even if you're not together, you can never really be over. You loved each other, and a love like that never dies, despite what you might think. It's as simple and as complicated as that."

"If you're wrong, if he loves you…"

Peyton just looked at Brooke, "There is no one who wants that more than I do. But you were right. He was never really mine."

Brooke wished there was something she could say to make Peyton's pain go away, and to make everything all right again, but all she could say was "I'm sorry."


	14. Chapter 14

"Hey." Brooke put her hand on Lucas' shoulder, "How are you holding up?"

Lucas gave her a sad smile, "I'm not."

"I'm sorry, Lucas."

Lucas laughed, "Are you?"

"Of course I am." Brooke said seriously, "I don't like seeing either of you in pain."

"Yeah, well, I should be used to it by now. I guess I just pick the heartbreakers."

"I didn't mean-"

"I know you didn't."

"Listen…I know that this whole thing sucks, but if you need me, I'm here."

"Thanks Brooke. You're a good friend."

Brooke's heart sank when she heard that. Friend. They had agreed to be friends, and now that it was actually happening, she wasn't sure if she could bear it. Brooke mustered up the courage to ask the question that had been roaming around in her head for the past week. "Do you love her Lucas?"

Lucas looked at her strangely, "That's not even a question, Brooke."

"Humor me."

"The truth is, I don't know anymore. I mean, I love her, I've always loved her, but…"

"But there's a but."

"No, no but. I do love her." Lucas said determinedly.

This was the answer Brooke had been dreading, but if she was honest with herself, she knew that it was also the answer she had been expecting. Without really meaning to, she spoke again, "If you really love her, you won't let her go again. She's miserable without you." _And so am I._ She managed to stop herself from saying the last part. If she was going to tell him how she really felt, now was not the time to do it. She didn't want to be rebound girl, someone Lucas was just using to get over Peyton.

"How would you know?"

"You're not the only one who's ever broken up with someone." That was the closest she would allow herself to get to telling him how she felt.

"I don't know what else to do. I've tried talking to her. I called her, but she won't pick up. I sent her flowers, I asked everyone I knew to talk to her for me, I tried going to her house. She just doesn't want to see me."

"It's because she loves you." Brooke said simply.

"Then why…?"

"She knows that if she sees you, or even hears your voice, she'll take you back in an instant." Peyton hadn't actually told her any of this, but Brooke guessed from the way she had felt when she and Lucas split, that Peyton was feeling the same way.

"I want her to take me back. I don't want it to end like this."

"There's no good way to end a relationship. Someone always gets hurt."

Lucas sighed, "I just want to figure this out. If she loves me, why would she break up with me?"

_I still love you, and I did it. I did it so you could be happy. But now no one is happy. _"So where do you go from here?"

"I don't know. I guess…I guess I just have to give her what she wants and let her be alone. I don't have much of a choice."

_Don't ever let someone you love go. If you do, they might not come back to you, and then it will be too late. Tell them now, I wish I had. I love you, Lucas._


	15. Chapter 15

"So how's the single life?" Rachel plopped down next to Lucas. He was bent over his lunch, by himself at a table outside.

He stopped mid-chew to stare at her, "Rachel…." He warned.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm over you. Besides, being single isn't that bad. The rest of us are dealing with it."

"It is when you still love with the person who broke up with you."

She nodded, "I guess you're right. If _that_ happens, then it's hell."

"How would you know?" Lucas looked at her inquiringly.

Rachel, realizing what she had said, decided to see how far she could go without Lucas knowing who she was talking about, "I have a friend. She's in love with this guy, and he doesn't even know it. The worst part is, he used to love her too, and I can still see sparks between them, but he seems to have moved on."

"Hm. That sounds familiar."

"I bet it does."

"How are Brooke and Chase anyway?"

Rachel couldn't figure out if Lucas was very smart, or very very stupid. Either he was covering the fact that he had figured out it was him and Brooke Rachel was talking about, or he actually thought Brooke had loved Chase. "They're pretty much over."

"That's too bad. Brooke deserves a guy who doesn't judge her or her past."

"Do you know any? Cuz I could use one of those too." Lucas let out a small laugh, and Rachel smiled at him, "See? That wasn't so hard."

"Why are you over here, anyway?"

"You looked lonely." Lucas raised an eyebrow at her, and she quickly added, "But not _that_ lonely. Trust me, not going down that road again."

"Good idea. But…thanks for coming over."

Rachel shrugged, "No problem. I know what it's like to be alone. Not as fun as it seems."

"Rachel…did Brooke say anything about the other night? At your house?"

"About the party? And you and Peyton's…encounter? Not really. I don't think it's the kind of thing she wants to bring up again."

"Oh. I never got a chance to talk to her about it. She came over about a week ago, but I just couldn't get myself to ask her about it."

"My guess? It was a little weird to see her former best friend about to have sex with her former boyfriend. Same thing happened to Peyton, or don't you remember that one?"

"No, I definitely remember." He paused for a moment, "Listen, Rachel, could you just tell her, Brooke, that…"

Rachel studied him for a moment, "That what?"

Lucas just shook his head, "Never mind. Just…it's nothing."

"Right." She got up and started to walk away, stopped, and turned back around. "Whatever you're doing, Lucas, just remember that Brooke and Peyton have been hurt enough."


	16. Chapter 16

"Knock knock." Brooke appeared at Lucas' door and leaned up against the frame.

Lucas turned around to face her, and the poster he had been trying to hang immediately fell off the wall. "Hey….oops."

Brooke laughed, "Remind me to never let you help decorate."

"Got it."

"Lucas, I brought you a present."

"What for?"

"Let's just say I think you need it." Brooke stepped aside and revealed the person who had been lurking a few feet behind her. Peyton was standing there, looking hesitantly at Lucas.

"Peyton." Lucas said, shock creeping into his voice. He looked at Brooke in surprise.

"I talked her into coming to see you." Brooke said with a tight smile. "I'll, uh, I'll leave you guys alone." And with a slight wave, she walked away, Lucas and Peyton watching her go. When she had gone, they turned to face each other, both of them felt the awkwardness that lingered between them.

"Hi." Peyton said.

"How have you been?" Lucas wanted to know.

Peyton shrugged, "Not so good, to be honest."

"So-"

"Lucas," Peyton interrupted, "Can we just cut the crap?"

"Excuse me?"

"What I mean is, everything is not ok, and you don't have to pretend it is by making small talk."

"I care about you Peyton, I really did want to know how you've been." Lucas said quietly.

"I know. I know you care about me, and I care about you too, I'm in love with you. And that makes this so much harder. Don't try to soften the blow by lying to me, in the end that will only make it worst. What I need to know is, do you think this can work? Me and you. Do you see us having a future?"

"Peyt…"

"No, Lucas. Just, please, do this for me. Do you see us together in a year? After college, you know, do you see us living together, buying a house, getting married?" Her voice broke, "Cuz I do. But if you don't, I'll know I'm right, and that someone else is in your future. That there's someone who makes you complete, and that's it's not me. I know you think you love me, hell, you might even really love me, but I don't think you're in love with me. There's a difference."

"The truth is that I don't know what's in my future. I don't even see me in my future, let alone anyone else."

Peyton bowed her head, attempting to hide her tears, but Lucas could hear the catch in her voice when she spoke again, "There isn't words enough for me to tell you how much I love you, and how much I wish it was different. And also, how much I appreciate you being honest with me. That's why I love you so much, Luke, you wouldn't lead someone on, and in the end, that's better for everyone. Even if it hurts."

"Peyton, even though I don't know what the future holds, why can't we just live for now? We were happy, we can still be happy."

"But there will always be the possibility of someone else."

Lucas had no reply to that, and Peyton just kissed him on the cheek and turned to leave. Reminded of the last girl he had let walk through that door after kissing him on the cheek, he was not about to let her get away without saying something that would make her come back. "You know I love you, don't you?"

Peyton paused halfway through the door, "No you don't. But thanks for trying anyway."


	17. Chapter 17

Hey guys! So so so sorry that I took so long to get another chapter up! School's been really hectic lately…but I promise never to take that long again! Oh yeah, I made a little change to then ending of chapter 16, so be sure to check that out! Enjoy! 3 Rachel

Nathan tossed the basketball into the air, not really trying too hard since the season was over. He caught the rebound and lazily dribbled it up and down the court. He was about the throw it again when he heard a car pull up. He squinted and saw that it was Rachel's black SUV. To his surprise, it was Brooke that hopped out. "Hey" he called out and lifted his hand in greeting.

Brooke looked up; she hadn't noticed that anyone else was here. To her relief, it was Nathan. The younger Scott had nothing to do with the source of her problems, and he could generally be trusted to keep their conversations to himself. "Hi Nathan."

"What are you doing here? If you're looking for Lucas, he's not here."

"No, I'm not looking for Lucas." Brooke replied, and Nathan accepted this statement without question. "As to what I'm doing here…I don't know, really. You and Lucas come here to get things off your mind, so I thought that maybe it would help me too."

"Well, we do come here to take things off our minds, but usually it's the basketball playing that does that. You want to try?" He held the ball out to her.

Brooke looked down at her boot-clad feet. They held a considerably high heel, and playing with those on would probably result in her using a wheelchair for the rest of her life. She made a quick decision, "You know what, I think I will." She sat down on the blacktop surface and pulled off her shoes. When she stood up again, Nathan looked at her and snickered. "What?" she said. She followed his gaze to her feet, and saw that her normally white socks were two different colors. One was a Ravens cheerleading sock, with a large 'R' on the side. The other was bright purple. "Ok, so I was a little distracted when I got dressed this morning." She joined him laughing.

Taking advantage of Nathan's distraction with her feet, Brooke grabbed the ball and ran toward the net. "Hey!" he called out. "That's traveling!"

"Does it look like I care?" She yelled back over her shoulder. When she reached the hoop, she shot it casually, and to both of their surprise, it went in.

"You wouldn't be half bad if you bothered to learn the rules." Nathan teased.

"Who needs rules?"

"Um, me?"

"Not out here, you don't"

Nathan thought about that for a minute, "You're right. I can pretty much do whatever I want out here. Which means I can go like this." He picked her up and deposited her back on the other side of the court.

"Not fair!" She said when Nathan had set her down.

"What do you mean not fair? You said we didn't need rules, remember?"

"Yeah, but I can't lift you up, so it's not fair."

"Oh, I see. We don't need rules, except for the ones that would help you win."

"Exactly."

"Well, I think _that's_ not fair."

Brooke laughed, "Thanks for hanging out with me, Nathan. You helped me a lot, even if you didn't know it. Lucas was right about this place."

"Believe it or not, I _like_ hanging out with you. You know I'd do anything for you, all you have to do is ask."


	18. Chapter 18

Brooke was lounging on the couch in Rachel's living room, flipping through channels on the T.V., but not really concentrating on what she was seeing. Since she had brought Peyton over to Lucas' house, she couldn't get thoughts of them together out of her head. She knew Peyton had no intentions of getting back together with Lucas, but Lucas had a way of making you forget what you were supposed to do, and remember what you _wanted_ to do.

There was a rap on the door, and it startled her out of her reverie. "Be right there!" She called, and tossed off the blanket she had been curled under. She threw open the door, and standing there, on the porch, was Lucas.

"Hi Brooke." He said, giving her a small smile.

It took Brooke a moment to clear her head; the last thing she had expected Lucas to do after talking to Peyton was come to see her. "Lucas!" she said, regaining her composure, "Come in." She held to door open wider, "What's up?"

"I just wanted to thank you for bringing Peyton over." Lucas glanced around.

"Rachel's not here, if that's what you're worried about. And you're welcome."

"I know you and Peyton aren't the best of friends anymore, but you've known each other for years, and I was hoping you could, maybe, explain some of the things she said to me."

"I'll try, but I'm not making any promises. Even I don't know what's going on in that head of hers."

Lucas chuckled, "Well, for starters, do you think there's a difference between loving someone and being in love with someone?"

"Get right down to it, why don't you? Loving someone and being in love with someone….yeah, there's a difference. For me, at least. I mean, everyone's heard the "you love your mom, but you're not in love with your mom" thing, but it's true. Being in love is…painful, and powerful, and beautiful, and just wonderful. And once you've felt it, nothing else is really the same."  
"Have you ever felt that way?" Lucas said, looking intently at Brooke.

Brooke looked right back, "Yeah. Yeah, I have. Have you?"

"Honestly? I don't know."

"Seems like there are a lot of things you don't know, Lucas Scott."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Like…just…things."

"Come on, you've always told me what's on your mind, why stop now?"

"It's nothing, really."

Something in Brooke's voice told Lucas to drop it. Instead, he started to talk about the coaching job he had been offered at the high school. Once they were off the sore subjects, Brooke was her peppy self again. They sat and chatted for at least an hour and a half, until Lucas glanced at his watch and saw how late it had gotten.

"I really should get going."

"Oh. Yeah, um. I guess…I'll be seeing you." she said, a little disappointed that he was leaving.

Lucas gave her a smile, "Yeah. Bye Brooke." He quickly hugged her and turned to go.

Something in Brooke wouldn't let him leave. "Lucas, wait."

"Hm?" he said expectantly.

She wanted so badly to tell him how she felt, to have him say that he felt the same way, and to feel his lips against hers again. But no matter how hard she tried; she couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead, she simply said, "I'm here for you if you need me."

Lucas gave her a warm smile, "I know you are, Brooke. That's why I love you." He crossed the room and enveloped her in a hug. Surprised, Brooke hugged him back and let herself sink into him. She knew that he hadn't meant that the way she wanted him to, but for just this moment, she could let herself pretend.


	19. Chapter 19

About a month after he and Peyton had broken up, Lucas sat in his mother's café, talking to Haley. "Hales…do you believe in true love?"

"Would I be married to Nathan if I didn't?"

"No, I mean, I know you two love each other, but do you believe in a love that no person can come between? That…I don't know, lasts forever no matter what happens?"

Haley sighed and put down the muffins she had been arranging. "Yes, I do. And I think you do too."

Lucas looked up at her, "Yeah, that's why every relationship I have ends up in ruins. Maybe I just haven't met the right person."

"I happen to think that you have. The question is, do _you_ know who it is?"

"If I did, would I be having this conversation with you? And what do you mean, I've already met her? Did you not hear what I just said? Every relationship I've ever had has ended badly."

"Not every one. And of course I heard what you said, I'm pregnant, not deaf."

Lucas laughed, "I know. But exactly what relationship of mine did not end badly?"

"Brooke." Haley said simply.

"Brooke? But…" Lucas was confused.

"I didn't say it didn't end, I said it didn't end _badly_. You guys are still close, and she was your first love, Lucas. I'm lucky enough to be married to mine, maybe you can be lucky too."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means whatever you think it means.

"You know, you're supposed to be helping me here. All you're doing is dropping hints I don't even understand."

"Oh, Lucas," Haley said, exasperated, "For a smart guy, you can be really dumb sometimes."

"Gee, thanks. Maybe I wouldn't sound so dumb if you would just _tell me what you are talking about_."

Haley just looked at him for a minute, "Some things you have to figure out for yourself.


	20. Chapter 20

1FINALLY I have a new chapter for you guys. Sorry it took so long! But now that it's summer, I promise I'll be back writing again!

"Rachel!" she had just thrown her bag in the car when she heard someone call her name.

"Oh. It's you." upon discovery that it was Lucas. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to ask you something." He said, out of breath from trying to catch up with her.

"Sorry, but that ship has sailed. I'm sort of not into you anymore."

"Ha. But that's not what I meant."

"Ok, then what? Are you here to ask me more odd questions about Brooke?" Rachel said, sticking her hand on her hip.

"Uh..." Lucas faltered, surprised that she had known what he was going to say, "sort of."

Rachel rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Hurry up then, I have somewhere to be."

"Um, I know you and Haley aren't the best of friends, but...has she said anything to you lately about me and Brooke? Or possibly Peyton?"

"Yeah...no. I pretty much have no idea what you're talking about."

"Haley's been dropping cryptic hints about my relationships lately."

"Maybe you should ask Brooke herself."

"I can't. Peyton doesn't really feel comfortable when I talk to Brooke about things like that."

"Ah. The Former-best-friend-of-your-ex-also-being-your-ex thing. Ask Peyton then."

"I can't do that either. Peyton sort of thinks that there's something between Brooke and me, I don't want to give her any more reason to think that."

"Well, aren't I the lucky one? You can't talk to either of them, so you come to me."

"Can you help me? Without the confusing hints that Haley seems to think I can figure out myself?"

"You really want to know what I think?"

"Yes."

"I think you need to figure out what you want. Because neither of them want to get hurt by you anymore. And I know what it's like to date you, Lucas, it's not the easiest thing. You only dated me to make Brooke happy. And then while you were with Brooke, she thought you wanted Peyton. But when you were with Peyton, she thought you wanted Brooke. But what do _you _think?"

"I don't know anymore. I have four girls telling me what to do, and I can't make any sense of what they're saying."

"Don't, Lucas. Don't let anybody tell you what to feel. But think about it, what it the common theme in most of your conversations lately?"

Lucas paused, confused for a minute, then he understood, "Brooke."

"And why did Peyton break up with you?"

"Brooke."

Rachel smiled, "Exactly. It's Brooke."


End file.
